Abstract

Schools often provide a way of building up a secure and productive society resilient to criminality, but South African education is in crisis and has neglected poor Cape Flats schools where help is most needed to fight crime. This article argues that illicit drug use is integrally linked to the social dynamics on the Cape Flats area of Cape Town in the Western Cape Province. It engages specifically with drug abuse and its nexus with gangsterism in schools in disadvantaged communities using a Sociology of Education lens. This article also argues that due to these social dynamics, greater consideration needs to be given to the social conditions of the schools, homes and communities of youth involved in illicit drug use. The article leans on a literature review and textual analyses of relevant research and points toward a strategic and collaborative stakeholder partnership to address drug abuse in Cape flats schools.